Automatic weft-replenishing loom.



J. c. BROOKS. AUTOMATIO WEFT REPLENRHING LOOM.

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J. .0. BROOKS. AUTOMATIU WBFT-REPLENISHING LOOM.

. APPLI'GATION FILED DEO.2, 1907.

J. c. BROOKS." AUTOMATIC WEFT REPLENISHING LOOM.

- APPLIOATION FILED 'DEO.2, 1907.

91 L643. Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

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UNITED STATES rnirnnr orricn.

JOHN CAMPBELL BROOKS, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSTGNOR TO DRAPEI-t COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

AUTOMATIC WEFT-REPLENISHING LOOM.

' Specification of Letters'Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed December 2, 1907. Serial No. 404,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, JOHN C. Bnoons, of Paterson, 1n the county of Passaic' and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Weft-Replenishing Looms, of which the fol lowing is a specification. V

In the now well-known Northrop or Draper loom, the principles of which are described in United States Letters Patent No. 529,940, dated November 27, 1894,

wherein weft-replenishment is eiiectedby ejecting the spent weft-carrier (bobbin, cop, spindle, or the like) from the working shuttle and transferring a fresh weft-carrier from a magazine, hopper, or other-holder into the working shuttle, it is highly important that the shuttle should be properly positioned with respect to the holder containing the spare weft-carriers when the weft-replenishing action takes place. In order to secure this proper relative position between shut-tle and holder the looms in commercial practice have been provided with two expedients. Incase the shuttle is too near the middle of the 100111 when the weftreplenishing mechanism is called into action, the transferring operation is prevented by means of a shuttle feeler which, com-' ing in contact with the misplaced shuttle, renders the transferring mechanism inactive, as set forth in United States Patent No. 529,943, November 27, 1894. On the other hand, should the shuttle be too far out from the middle of the loom, the transferring mechanism acts and reliance is had upon the construction of the shuttle which is set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 538,507, dated April 30, 1895. This patent shows an automatically threading shuttle equipped with weft-carrier holding jaws (such as are more fully set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 454,807, dated June 28, 1891,) which are grooved to grasp and hold-projecting ribs on the weft-carrier, and the shuttle chamber permits the concurrent ejection of the spent weft-carrier and reception of a fresh weft-carrier. This construction requires that the weft-carrier should be accurately placed in the shuttle in order that the jaws may securely grasp andhold an inserted weft-carrien: a

As shown in Patent No. 538,507, just mentioned, the shuttle is provided with an inclined bridge in the vicinity of the weft-carshuttle.

rier holding jaws which engages the butt end of a fresh weft-carrier while being transferred and thereby directs the weft-carrier to the holding jaws in case the shuttle occupies a position too far from the middle of the loom. While this provision of an inclined directing bridge has been employed in the very large number of Northrop or Draper looms whichvhave been put into commercial use, its action has not been wholly satisfactory.

As will be evident from an inspection of the drawings of the aforesaid patent No. 538,507, the relative longitudinal movement between the misplaced shuttle and the incoming weft-carrier takes place while the spent weft-carrier is being ejected under the ims pact of the incoming weft-carrier. At the same time, the incoming weft-carrier is being pressed down by the transferrer, whose frictional contact with the weft-carrier tends to interferewith any longitudinal movement of the weft-carrier. It also may happen during the transferring action that the projecting ribs of the incoming and spent weft-carriers may interlock and hence interfere with the relative longitudinal movement between the incoming weftcarrier and the misplaced The result is that weft-carriers are sometimes broken, and occasionally the inserted weft-carrier is ineficiently grasped by the shuttle jaws so that a portion of the weftcarrier may be outside of the boundaries of the shuttle with resulting damage to the warp. While these objections are not sufficient to offset the many and conspicuous advantages of the commercial Draper looms, nevertheless they are serious and it is important that they should be obviated.

The object of the present invention is to cure the stated difliculties and it is effected by mechanism which moves outwardly the spare weft-carrier holder to register with the shuttle when too far out, this registering action taking place when the weft-replenishing mechanism is brought into action and in advance of any contact between the incoming and outgoing weft-carriers and before the incoming weft-carrier comes into contact with the shuttle jaws, or any part of the shuttle. The shuttle feeler is retained so that the transferring mechanism is rendered inactive in'case the shuttle is too nearthe middle of the loom when the weft-replenishing mechanism is called into action; while,

on the other hand, should the shuttle be too far out at the critical moment, the holder moves outwardly into just the right position relatively to the shuttle for the insertion of the fresh weft-carrier.

One embodiment of the present improvements is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l, is a vertical section through the lay, transferring mechanism and a portion of the magazine or holder of the modern form of the Northrop or Draper loom showing the present improvements and illustrating the transferrer in the act of inserting a fresh weft-carrier, the period illustrated being just in advance of the incoming weftcarrier contacting with the spent weft-can rier. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section along the plane 2-2 in Fig. 1, and through the shuttle and the holder, illustrating the parts just after the magazine has been moved out wardly to register with the shuttle. Fig. 3, is a section similar to Fig. 2, but showing only a portion of the holder, and illustrating the normal portion thereof.

The drawings show, with suflicient fullness to enable the present improvements to be understood, certain of the ordinary parts of the well-known Draper loom in one of the present commercial forms.

A, is the lay; B, is the shuttle with its resilient weft-carrier holding jaws, a," C, is the spare weftearrier magazine or holder; D, is a portion of the fixed stand or framework by which the holder is supported; E, E, are weft-carriers each with projecting annular ribs 6, b, at its butt end; F, is the swinging transferrer; G, is the transferrer dog which, when the weft-replenishing mechanism is called into action, is moved up into position to be struck by the hunter 0, on the lay; and H, is the shuttle feeler which prevents action of the transferrer in case the shuttle is misplaced and is too near the middle of the loom when a change is called. The shuttle feeler is shown in Figs. 2, and 8, and only in section, since its relation to the transferring mechanism is now so well known as to require no detailed illustration or description. It may, for example, be arranged as illustrated in Patent No. 529,943, above mentioned, or as shown in more recent United States Letters Patent, as, for example, in Patent No. 664,790, dated December 25, 1900. All of these parts act and cooperate in the same way as customary in the Draper loom.

The added parts illustrated in the drawings relate to the devices for moving the spare weft-carrier holder relatively to the shuttle so that the spare weft-carrier which occupies the transferable position in the holder may register with the shuttle at the moment when a transfer of weft-carriers is j to take place. Instead of the holder C, be

ing journaled directly to the fixed stand D, it is journaled to an intermediate frame l, which is hinged at J to the upper end of the stand D. The upper ends of the stand D and the swinging frame I, extend outwardly over the holder so that the axis on which the frame swings is substantially over the center of gravity of the holder. This axis is in a plane perpendicular to the length of the shuttle. Consequently, when the fran'ie swings outwardly away from the fixed stand D the spare weft-carrier which occupies the transferable position in the holder is moved outwardly lengthwise with respect to the shuttle. Normally, the swinging frame 1 hangs vertically, as shown in Fig. 3, and it supports the transferrer F. The swinging frame D carries at its lower end a pivoted dog K which is uplift d and normally maintained in the position shown in Fig. 3 by a spring (Z. V hen in this normallyhorizontal position the dog K is immediately beneath the butt of the spare well-carrier which occupies the transferable position in the holder beneath the. transferrer F.

The shuttle has within its chamber and close to the butt of the contaimal weft-carrier (and hence in the neighb n'hood of the shuttle spring jaws a.) an. abutment L similar to that more fully illustrated and dcseribed in the application for United States lie'ters Patent of Edward S. Stimpson, 51crial No. 401,331, filed November 190T.

ln case the shuttle is too far out from the middle of the loom the time when a transfer of weft-carriers should take place, as indicated in Fig. 3. the holder will be swung ontwardly so that the weft-carrier to be ined will properly reg, ster with the shuttle jaws by reason of cooperation between lhe dog l and the abutment l1. YVhen the "'resl. weft-carrier is depre sed by the transferrer its butt end encounters the free end of the dog K, thus swinging said dog on its pivot to the position shown in dtfited lines in Fig. at which time it en counters the abutment ll. During the fur titer descent of the wefbcarrier being transferred the holder is swung outwardly by reaat ur une l S\\l11f,;'ll1j j on the axis J, urine. the proper position between tie and the ineomi weft-carrier, as snown in Fig. 2. Accordingly, within the scope of movement permitted by the action of the dog K on the abutment l1, which may be great enough to provide for all eontingencies of outward d s lacement of the shuttle, the incoming weft-carrier will always reg r with the shuttle whenever the shutniisplaced outwardly. Should the shuttle be misplaced inwardly too near the middle of the loom the shuttle-feeler will encounter the shuttle and prevent the transferring action in the present Draper loom.

With the present construction it may hap- I ll pen that the registration between incoming weft-carrier and the shuttle may be due to conjoint movements in bpposite directions of the shuttle and the outwardly swinging holder, depending upon how forcibly the usual binder acts upon the shuttle in the shuttle-box. If the binder acts forcibly the registration may be entirely due to the outward swing of the holder. On the other hand, should the binder pressure be small, there may be an inward movement of the shuttle concurrently with the'outwar'd move? ment of the holder, so that proper registration may result from the movement of both.

While in the illustrated construction the entire holder moves outwardly, this is not essential. It would suflice if only that porti on of the holder which immediately carries the weft-carrier occupying the transferable position should be arranged to move outwardly. In some varieties of holders this would be convenient.

The outwardly movable holder and the shuttlefeeler provide for all the contin-v misplaced shuttles which arise in The relation between the dog K and the abutment L of the shuttle is such that registration between incoming H weftcarrier and shuttle is effected before the weft-carrier comes in contact with any part of the shuttle or with the spent weft-carrier therein, so that there is no relative longitudinal movement between the two weftcarriers while the spent weft-carrier is being driven outwardly from between the shuttle jaws and while the incoming weft-carrier is'passing in between said aws.

The dog K acts upon an abutment wholly within the shuttle so tnat the exterior of the gencles of practice.

shuttle is not modified, and the width of the abutment extending interiorly across the shuttle chamber compensates for the move ment of the lay during the transferring operation. I claim: 7

1. An automatic weft replenishing loom having, in combination, a spare weft-carrier holder; an outwardly swinging by which said holder is supported; a shuttle with weft-carrier holding jaws and an abutment; a transferrer to transfer a weft-carrier from the holder to the shuttle and eject the spent weft-carrier; mechanism to prevent the action of the transferrer in case the shuttle is misplaced inwardly relatively to the holder when a change of weft-carriers is called; and a spring restored dog moved by the fresh weft-carrier when acted upon by .the transferrer, said dog encountering said shuttle-abutment and moving the holder outwardly when the shuttle is too far out relatively to the incoming weft-carrier.

2. An automatic weftreplenishing loom having,in combination, a spare weft-carrier holder; an outwardly movable frame by which said holder is supported; a shuttle; a transferrer to transfer a weft-carrier from the holder to the shuttle and eject the spent weft-carrier; and a dog moved by the fresh weft-carrier when acted upon by the transferrer, said dog encountering said shuttle and moving the holder outwardly when the shuttle is too far out relatively to the incoming weft-carrier.

3. An automatic weft replenishing loom having, in combinaion, an outwardly movable weft-carrier holder; a shuttle; and a dog moved by the fresh weft-carrier when being transferred to the shuttle, said dog encountering said shuttle and moving the holder to register with the shuttle.

t. An automatic weft replenishing loom having, in combination, a movable weft-carrier holder; a shuttle; and a dog which encounters the shuttle and moves said holder with respect to the shuttle.

5. An automatic weft replenishing loom wherein replenishment is efiected by substituting a fresh weft-carrier for a spentweftcarrier in the shuttle; having, in combination, a shuttle; a spare weft-carrier holder; means for moving said holder outwardly with respect to the shuttle; and means to prevent the transfer of the spare weft-carrier to the shuttle in case the shuttle is misplaced inwardly.

6. An automatic weft replenishing loom wherein r'eplenishmentis effected by substitutinga fresh weft-carrier for a spent weft carrier the shuttle; having, in combination, a shuttle; a spare weft-carrier holder; and means for moving said holder outwardly with respect to the shuttle.

7. An automatic weft replenishing loom -wherein replenishment is effected by substituting a fresh weft-carrier for a spent weftcarrier in the shuttle; having, in combination, a shuttle; a spare weft-carrier holder; and means for moving said holder with respect to the shuttle, and lengthwise of the shuttle.

8. an automatic weft replenishing loom having, in combination, a shuttle; a spare weft-carrier holder; and means for moving said holder with respect to the shuttle, and lengthwise of the shuttle.

9. An automatic weft replenishing loom wherein replenishment is efiected by substituting afresh weft-carrier for a spent weftcarrier in the shuttle; having, in combination, a shuttle; and a spare weft-carrier holder capable of movement in a direction lengthwise of the shuttle.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CAMPBELL BROOKS.

Witnesses:

LORETTA B. DELANEY, PATRICK H. LAMB. 

